Bailey Always-on-field Champ

Junior Standout Champ Bailey Is Georgia's Leading Receiver And Top Defensive Back.

October 29, 1998|By Chris Harry of The Sentinel Staff

GAINESVILLE - College football players get Sundays off, presumably, to give their minds and bodies a day to recover from the pounding taken the previous day.

By that line of thinking, Champ Bailey should not be required to rejoin his University of Georgia teammates until Tuesdays. At the very least, he should be charging the Bulldogs scholarship-time-and-a-half.

``Sometimes I get tired and just have to push myself,'' Bailey said. ``I just try to play with a lot of heart.''

A lot of heart, a lot of the time.

Bailey, a 6-foot-1, 186-pounder from Folkston, Ga., plays both offense and defense for the Bulldogs, and we're not talking cameos, either.

``He's our premier player,'' Bulldogs Coach Jim Donnan said of his leading receiver (27 catches, 497 yards, 5 touchdowns), top defensive back (30 tackles, two interceptions, seven pass breakups) and most dangerous kick-returner (25.7 yards on kickoffs, 13.7 on punts). ``We ask a lot of him, but he never complains.''

Bailey probably wouldn't have the energy to gripe, even if he wanted. Last week, in a 28-26 victory at Kentucky, Bailey went 102 plays against the pass-happy Wildcats, with 76 coming on defense. Two weeks earlier, in a loss against Tennessee, Bailey's time was more balanced; 37 offense, 50 defense and 14 on special teams. Throw out a season-opening 56-3 blowout of Kent - when Bailey played just 38 - and the junior averages 82 plays per game. That includes two games over the century mark.

Karim and his teammates, no doubt, saw a lot of Bailey's No. 4 during video sessions this week, but the sixth-ranked Gators (6-1, 4-1) will get an up-close, in-person look at the nation's top ironman Saturday when they face the 11th-ranked Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) in a crucial Southeastern Conference game in Jacksonville.

As in the Tennessee game, look for Bailey's on-field time to be weighted toward the defensive side, because of UF's threat to throw the ball (348.9 yards per game). The Dawgs will stay mostly in zone coverage to save Bailey the trouble of chasing a speedster such as UF's Travis McGriff all day.

There is no question, however, that Bailey's ability to get deep on offense (18.4 yards per catch) will be utilized at some point during the game.

``The biggest thing we say on the sideline is, `Where's Champ?''' said Donnan, who doubles as Georgia's offensive coordinator. ``The defensive coaches are putting him in, and I'm putting him in. Sometimes, we get confused.''

Bailey has learned to deal with the push-me, pull-you chaos of Saturdays since debuting as a two-way situational player in 1997.

``Last year, we didn't really have a plan. I'd just come off and sort of stand and wait,'' said Bailey, a first-team All-SEC selection at cornerback after finishing with 47 tackles and two interceptions to go with his 19.5-yard average on 12 catches. ``This year, I'm more alert. Always on my toes.''

At 73 plays per game, a case can be made that Bailey has been on the field more than any Division I player in the past four decades.

His 1998 feats are even more impressive when you compare them to what Michigan cornerback/wide receiver Charles Woodson did in winning the Heisman Trophy last season as a two-way novelty. With five games to play, Bailey already has surpassed Woodson's offensive statistics (551 yards to 259), needs 14 tackles to equal his defensive numbers and is on pace to blow past Woodson's season total of 765 plays.

Bailey, who has been in on 531 plays this season, knows there is probably a wall out there somewhere - a point where his body is going to want to shut down.